WSNIA - The Educator

INFORMATION ♦ EDUCATION ♦ ENFORCEMENT

THE EDUCATOR - Spring 2006

Sick Puppy...Traffickers sink to new lows

Even pets are not safe from drug traffickers. Many animals suffer at the hands of drug traffickers as a result of drug transportation and production. They are used as canine "swallowers" to transport drugs. Dogs found at meth labs are burned and need to be decontaminated to rid them of chemicals using in meth cooking. It's drug trafficking at its worst—involving more innocent victims who don't have a say in their own fate.

Dateline Colombia: Drug traffickers have sunk to a new low, using purebred dogs to transport heroin into the United States. Packages of liquid heroin were implanted in the abdomens of these puppies as they were being readied to send to the U.S. as pets—like so many before them. Luckily, authorities were tipped off about the scheme before these dogs were shipped to New York. Law enforcement officials raided a makeshift veterinary hospital where they discovered ten puppies—six of them with heroin in their stomachs. The heroin was removed, but three puppies died from infections. Eventually, members of the trafficking organization responsible for this crime were taken down by DEA in Operation Liquid Heroin. The surviving puppies were adopted by families in Colombia and are growing up in safe conditions.

Meth and Pets: Pet abuse by traffickers happens in our own back yards. Meth is especially toxic to animals—many need to be decontaminated after they are found at meth labs. And many pets are abandoned by meth cooks and users when they are arrested or leave their homes.

Sick Mattie: This is a photo of a three year-old Pit Bull found in a meth lab in West Linn, Oregon. The chemicals used to make the drug had burned the fur off Mattie's face and chest, leaving it raw and sore. Even after being treated, the scar tissue in Mattie's ears threatens to close up her canals.

Morgan the cat was rescued by Animal Rescue & Care when the house she lived in was foreclosed because her people were methamphetamine users and in debt. This was the second cat Animal Rescue & Care had helped coming from a similar situation, in the last six months. This photograph was taken of Morgan when he was ready for adoption. Most of the animals coming from drug-using environments tend to show indications of neglect—they are malnourished and afraid of people. According to a humane society in Oregon, 70% of their rescues involve situations where the cats have been abandoned when people move on and leave the area.

Not Your Average Dog Bath: This dog was rescued as part of Operation Wildfire in August, 2005. Because the dog was exposed to chemicals in a meth house, he needs to be decontaminated to remove the dangerous substances. Children found in meth labs are also decontaminated. Because of the danger of meth chemicals, law enforcement officers raiding meth houses must wear special protective gear to provide them with a measure of safety.